Strands of the Weave: A Witch's Journey
A Pyromancer's Offer Remia eased into her chair and she peeled off her heavy lavender boots. She poured a pale amber liquid which faintly tasted of licorice into a goblet of gnomeish carbonated water..channeling elemental frost she chilled the glass took a slow sip savoring the subtle flavor. Every muscle seemed tense and knotted from the chaos that dominated her life. It seemed as if many of her ex lovers and her ex husband had recently emerged like grubs beneath a stone after a log absence... co-incidently at the same time she was about to be wed to the cleric, Calithos Blyde. Remia detested formal..social events greatly as people adopting elaborate facades aimed at impressing others tended to be adverse to her direct and open nature. While she often tried hard to be gracious and respectful of others she simply had no patience with pretensious behavior. Yet again she found herself emeshed in planning a huge formal event..just the variety she loathed as her sweet natured and social fiancee' had been inviting most of the populance of Stormwind including several individuals Remia detested. Thus far Remia had purchased her wedding regalia..which was ritualistic armor suitable for a battle mage of Kul' Tiras or even the Rashaman Witches that Remia herself has descended from. Apparently Calitho's parents had held a ritual duel during their ceremony and this event alone pleased her the most. Her battle armor was a soft shade of cream with her pauldrons, cloak and belt all limmed in ornate gold designs. Cal's attire was all in blue and gold, his robe an elaborately embroidered affair with lapis and amber affixed to the front. Remia drew her dark brows together thinking of planning the affair. For now she would have to take a break from such things or it would lead to her insisting they elope in Booty Bay which to her would hold far more amusement that being polite to the social elite of Stormwind. Rem took a deep pull from her drink and listened absently to the two gems she wore around her neck to communicate with the mercenary army she served and one for the Netherbane School. As Remia wrestled with her thoughts she heard Faeroh's son's voice resonant through the communication stone requesting the aid of his commrades to retreive something of value from ogre stronghold. She did not make out the details as her she had been deep in her musings when it caught her attention but if if the family of her dear friend required aid they would have it. Remia smiled to herself leaning even farther back into her chair then running both her hands through her thick dark hair. Her mind raced. She had spent so long fighting in a mercenary army that it would be extroidinary to go on a mission with some personal impact. Remia did not know Taldarion well but respected the charasmatic demon hunter. She knew Faeroh better and knew that while he was in self imposed exile he would worry incessantly about his family. If she could assist him perhaps it would ease the heavy burden he carried like a mantle if only a small bit. Remi trilled and chirruped calling her small ebony scaled whelping, Pyrite. The small creature landed on her pauldrons and craned his neck for her to scratch the tiny crests on his head. She fed him a few pieces of rosemary marinated mutton then took out her parchment and quill fashioning a brief note in royal blue ink... Hail and well met Taldarion son of Faeroh Moonreign: ''It has come to my ears that you need extra hands in retreving an item of some value from an ogre stronghold. I am afraid I am uninformed and would require more information in assisting with developing a infiltration and battle plan but I am eager to provide you with any help you may need. And if you would please feed Pyrite as he will be a most cranky and hungry whelpling when he arrives... I would be in your debt.." ''Cool Shade and Sweet Water.. '' Remia Shadowcloak'' Remia finshed her hastily scribbled note wincing slightly, wondering if he would be able to decipher her ornate, chaotic scrawl. She rolled up the scroll and tied it to her whelpling's collar. She cast a spell from her homeland that allowed a brief telepathic link to the creature. Remia visualized the path to the barrow in Moonglade and inserted a image of Taldarion rewarding the dragon with scraps of meat as an incentive to complete its mission. She reached for a pear and began lustily biting into it as she watched Pyrite fly up the stairs from her dwelling. Now she need only wait to see if her offer was accepted.. Invitation to Battle Remia heard the sound of wings flapping and the weight of Pyrite settled on her shoulders. She had been buried in the mire of her reflections...her little whelpling provided a brief interuption. He chirruped cajolingly nudging her fingers in search of a treat for his efforts. "My word you are a voracious little one." '' Remia's lips curled in an amused smile as she chuckled. Remi made her way to the pantry and retrieved some smoked raptor and began feeding Pyrite who scarfed down the strips of meat with great enthusiasm. She reached for his collar and unfastened the rolled parchment that was affixed there and began to read the letter Taldarion had sent her. The demon hunter had called her "amazing" to offer her assistance to him and had conveyed that his father was fortunate to have a friend such as herself. The compliment he had paid her was most kind and made her smile briefly. It appeared he would indeed accept her offer of assistance but her happy expression changed quickly and her raven brows drew together as she read the words which finally gave her the answer as to why this trip to the ogre mound was being made. They were to penetrate the ogre's stronghold not just for an item but to redress the death of someone dear to Taldarion. Remi frowned, her eyes sad feeling empathy for Tal and also recalling her own losses in the past. Laeroth...it had been many years since he had sacrificed his life to repair the ancient protections on the ruins of the grand city they sought to rebuild. She had not learned of his passing until his disembodied spirit has spoken to her from beneath the depths of the city...his essence now bound to mythal..the wards of the city. He had not even said goodbye before he passed..the father of her child left the world without so much as a touch before his body was destroyed. Remia felt a cold icicle of pain lodged in her abdomen as she recalled the birth of her child Daeroth. She had held him proudly in her arms, radient and feeling the joy of giving her elven love a son. He had been so perfect a lovely blend human and elf. Her joy had been brief..for Laeroth had plucked the cooing infant from her arms. His eyes were resolved and pained when he spoke. ''"Remia I must take him now. He now has a duty for he will be the guardian of the remaining tomes of elven ritual magic. You know as I do that Myth Drannor will fall to internal betrayals of elven houses and demons will destroy the splendor.. the beauty that was built. This is the burden I cannot evade..but the knowledge acquired by our people must be preserved and out last the fall of the stronghold of our race. Daeroth will be raised somewhere safe. I cannot tell you where he will be sent. No one can know. For he cannot be found until the appropriate time in the future.", Laeroth frowned and cleared his throat his voice kind but firm."No Laeroth..Please don't take him...by Azuth don't take my baby", Remia pleaded and cried molten tears of frustration even though she knew she could not change what he would do. Laeroth opened a portal which roiled and churned blackly...he gave Remia a look of entreaty and one eliciting forgiveness as he stepped into the void her son crying lustily as he vanished. Remia cried bitterly as tapestries burst into hot red flames and disintergrated from the fire that flew from her fingertips involuntarily. Her adventuring companions, Screngia and Andrei left her to her grief until it burnt itself before they went near Remia for she had destroyed every item of furniture from the chaotic magics that stormed in the room an outlet for the emptiness and grief she felt. Remia stroked and petted the dragon as the tears coursed down her face. Both her son and Laeroth were forever lost to her. So many men had come and gone and now she prepared to marry another. What turn of fate would rip him from her life? Remi gritted her teeth as she walked over to her bookshelves and took a tome off the shelf with maps of Feralas. She set to planning a strategy for invading the ogre stronghold hoping she could actually have the opportunity to employ it. She needed the wild, sweet distraction of battle to distract her...for all to lately the sorrows and disappointments of her past nipped at her heels like voracious beasts. Of Politics and Strange Bed fellows Remia lay entwined in the crisp linens of her bed. She rested on her elbow and gazed at her lover Calithos watching his deep, jade, lazy, lidded eyes as they disscussed his upcoming run for Magistrate. His face was deceptively cherubic, Remia thought as she caressed the smooth surace of his skull which still glistened damply from the aftermath of their exertions. Remi kept her ears open regarding matters in Stormwind even if she detested remaining immersed in that cesspit overly long. It was often to her advantage to allow the majority of casual acquaintances to regard her as nothing more than a vapid wanton there was much benefit in being underestimated. But Remia was no fool, she had acted as a political advisor in her past and the lessons he had learned had never left her. Politics was a blood sport and to run with the big hounds one had to be willing to get their hands dirty and often bloody. She preferred that Calithos would run his campaign on the issues and they had discussed several methods of offering business owners incentivies to develop in a around Stormwind and boolster the local economy as well as several proposals to further research in engineering and stimulate growth in the "tech " sector. Upon learning that her ex-husband would also be running for the position Remia knew that this contest would not be a mere battle of ideas but would be a true war in a sense. Remi's former husband had changed a great deal since they had married or simply he had revealed the core of his true nature. He had always been rather intelligent, clever, and quite the strategist but his motiviations these days seemed driven rather nakedly by a lust for power and desire to reaffirm his imagined superiority over the "baser elements". She simply could not trust Calithos to face that man unaided by some more politically saavy than himself. Cal was a most competent atttorney, dedicated to tradition and law and had the right connections for the position. Remia knew Stormwind would benefit under his firm hand and yet open minded nature. But if she had any caring for him she would not allow his occasional acts of chaos and hilarity impede his chances. His opponent would be like a wolf nipping at his flanks. The Professor would look and exploit any weakness. Remi had hired a retired war veteran Keyon Channing to act as Calitho's politcal consultant. Keyon was handsome in the manner of the boy next door grown older. He was well mannered, very direct and had the kind of brilliant political mind that she felt that Cal needed to keep his campiagn headed in the right direction. It had been a difficult sell to get the independent Cal to accept the assistance she had obtained for him. Remia was exceedinly stubborn especially in the light of encountering her ex in the Jester. He was attired impecably as ever and wore a wolfish smile as if he had several plans already in motion to get the jump politically on her sweet natured fiancee'. Sometimes it was all to easy to read the man. No matter what she did he interpreted it as her being a manipulative slattern. On this occasion Remia just relaxed she knew his opinion no longer mattered...but guarding her love's political future did.. Category:Stories Category:Remia